40. The truths in the Word’s literal sense are in part not naked truths, but appearances of truth, and are seemingly images and metaphors taken from the kinds of things found in nature, thus which have been accommodated and suited to the comprehension of simple folk, and even to that of little children. However, because they are correspondent terms, they are the receptacles and abodes of genuine truth. They are like vessels enclosing such truths and containing them, like a crystal goblet filled with vintage wine, or like a silver dish containing tasty foodstuffs. Or they are like garments clothing them, as swaddling cloths clothe a baby, or a pretty dress a maiden. They are also like the facts known by the natural self, which embrace within them the perceptions of and affections for truth belonging to the spiritual self.
The naked truths themselves which are enclosed, contained, clothed and embraced are those found in the Word’s spiritual sense, and the naked goods are those found in its celestial sense.
[2] But let us illustrate this with passages from the Word. Jesus said:
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees...! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and intemperance. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. (Matthew 23:25-26)
The Lord spoke here in terms of outward objects that serve as containers, talking about a cup and dish, but a cup means wine, and wine the Word’s truth, and a dish means food, and food the Word’s goodness. To cleanse the inside of the cup and dish means to use the Word to purify one’s inner qualities, which are those of the will and thought, thus of one’s love and faith. That by this the outside would thus be clean means that thus one’s outward actions would be purified, which are one’s works and words, for these take their essence from the inner qualities.
[3] Again Jesus said:
There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and entertained himself magnificently every day. And there was a certain poor man named Lazarus, who lay prostrate at his gate, full of sores.... (Luke 16:19-20)
Here, too, the Lord spoke in terms of natural objects which are correspondent ones and contain spiritual meanings. The rich man means the Jewish nation, called rich because they had a Word that contained spiritual riches. The purple and fine linen in which the rich man was clothed symbolize the Word’s goodness and truth, purple its goodness and fine linen its truth. Entertaining himself magnificently every day symbolizes that nation’s taking pleasure in possessing the Word and reading it. The poor man, Lazarus, means gentiles, who did not have the Word. Their being despised and rejected by the Jews is meant by Lazarus’ lying prostrate at the rich man’s gate, full of sores.
[4] Gentiles are meant by Lazarus, because the Lord loved the gentiles, as the Lord loved the Lazarus whom He raised from the dead (John 11:3, 5, 36). And He calls Lazarus His friend (John 11:11), and Lazarus reclined at the table with the Lord (John 12:2).
From these two passages it is apparent that the truths and goods in the Word’s literal sense serve as containing vessels and clothing of the naked truth and goodness that lies within the Word’s spiritual and celestial senses.
